Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B5/00—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware
  • A46B5/0095—Removable or interchangeable brush heads
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
  • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
  • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a disassemblable toothbrush.
• a toothbrush which can be disassembled into a handle portion and a replaceable bristled portion which are connected together by an improved engaging and blocking system.
• toothbrushes with a replaceable bristled portion already exist for some time now on the market, said toothbrushes being designed with the fundamental aim of providing an oral hygiene device which has appreciable ecological, low-cost and practical characteristics.
• US-A-5,875,51 0 in the name of Lamond et al. (on the basis of which the introductory part of the main claim is formed) and US 4,227,276 in the name of Ginsburg at al. illustrate assembly systems in which elastic tongues, integral with the bristled portion and provided with teeth, are inserted into associated seats, being elastically deformed and engaging with their teeth in corresponding retaining openings in the handle portion.
• the tongues are slender and have small dimensions and therefore are unable to exert a notable elastic force such as to prevent with certainty accidental disengagement of the teeth from the retaining openings.
• a certain degree of yielding of the plastic material may occur, said material thus further losing its elastic retaining capacity.
• the tongues must at least consist of two facing tongues so as to exert opposing thrusting forces which ensure that at least one of the two teeth is always fully engaged in its retaining opening.
• the Applicant with the aim of overcoming all the problems of the prior art, has tackled the technical problem of providing a totally safe system for assembly of a disassemblable toothbrush, such as to be able to satisfy even the most demanding requirements, developing a solution which simultaneously has a simple constructional design, a low manufacturing cost and is convenient and practical to use.
• Fig. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of the toothbrush according to the invention
• Fig. 2 is a longitudinally sectioned view along the line ll-ll in Fig. 1 , with the two toothbrush portions disassembled;
• Figs. 3 and 4 are views, similar to those of Figs. 1 and 2, of a second embodiment of the invention;
• Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial view of Fig. 2 with the toothbrush assembled
• Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views along, respectively, the lines VI- VI, VII-VII and VIII-VIII in Fig. 5;
• Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of Fig. 5 which illustrates operation of the toothbrush according to the invention;
• Figs. 10-13 are views, similar to those of Figs. 5-8, relating to a second embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 14 is a detailed perspective view (on the scale 4:1 ) of the assembly system of the second embodiment
• Fig. 1 5 is a top plan view of the bristled portion, with the tufts removed, of the second embodiment
• Figs. 15A-15C are cross-sectional views along the lines A-A, B-B and C-C in Fig. 1 5; and Fig. 1 6 is a view, similar to that of Fig. 9, relating to the second embodiment.
• a disassemblable toothbrush has a handle portion 1 assembled in a removable manner with a bristled portion 2.
• the bristled portion 2 comprises a cleaning head 2a, to which tufts of bristles S are fixed, and a neck part 2b.
• a coupling part 3 extends from the end of the neck part 2b and is able to engage in an engaging seat 4 correspondingly provided in the handle portion 1 .
• the coupling part 3 has a substantially rigid initial body 3a and a more slender, substantially flexible working portion 3b on which a retaining tooth 3c is provided.
• the engaging seat 4 comprises a guide mouth 4a which has a cross-section corresponding to that of the body 3a of the coupling part 3 and which terminates in a housing recess 4b.
• the recess 4b preferably opens outwards on at least one side of the handle portion 1 .
• the working portion 3b is in the form ' of a tongue with a substantially rectangular cross-section (Fig. 7), tapered towards the end and flexible about a fulcrum point situated in the zone of connection with the body portion 3a.
• a tooth 3c is provided on the end of the tongue 3b.
• the handle portion 1 has an interruption in continuity of the wall, in the form of a flexible button 5.
• the flexible button 5 is able to come into contact with the tooth 3c so as to be able to displace it, as will be described further below.
• the button 5 has sufficiently large dimensions such that it may be pressed more easily by a user's finger (Fig. 9) .
• the working portion 3b' has a U-shaped cross-section (Figs. 1 3 and 14).
• the working portion 3b' is interrupted by a transverse incision and by two longitudinal incisions which cut out a flexible tongue portion provided with a tooth 3c' .
• the handle portion 1 ' preferably has, on its wall, a flexible button 5 ' able to come into contact with the tooth 3c'.
• the initial body 3a, 3a' In the working position of the toothbrush, namely when the bristled portion 2, 2' is fully engaged in the handle 1 , 1 ', the initial body 3a, 3a' is housed and guided precisely in the guide mouth 4a, while the retaining tooth 3c, 3c' is positioned in correspondence of a shoulder or locating portion 6, 6' provided inside the recess 4b, 4b' and integral with the handle.
• the initial body retains the coupling part in its seat against the lateral forces applied to the head 2a and the tooth, being engaged with the locating portion 6, 6', but prevents any longitudinal sliding of the coupling part inside its seat.
• the recess 4b is filled with a mass of elastomeric material E, for example introduced therein by means of a known multi- component injection process, through the opened side of the handle.
• the elastomeric mass E occupies a volume inside the recess 4b and is deformed when also the coupling part 3 is inserted into the seat.
• the deformation of the mass E induces an elastic reaction of the elastomeric material which presses against the working portion of the coupling part in a direction such as to keep the tooth 3c, 3c' actively engaged with the retaining portion 6, 6', with an action which is more efficient and longer-lasting than the ordinary natural elastic return of the flexible section of the coupling part 3.
• a thin layer Ei of elastomeric material is also provided at the end of the handle portion 1 , in the region of a contact surface 1 a thereof.
• This layer is also provided at the end of the handle portion 1 , in the region of a contact surface 1 a thereof.
• the elastic reaction which is produced helps makes the assembly more stable, taking up part of the play which may be created.
• assembly of the toothbrush occurs by means of insertion of the coupling part 3, 3' inside its own seat 4, 4', with a slight pressure able to bring the tooth 3c and 3c' beyond the locating surface 6 and 6'.
• the flexible button 5 and 5' is pressed (Figs. 9 and 14)
• the tooth 3c and 3c' is also pressed, causing flexing of the working portion 3b, 3b'.
• the tooth is lowered sufficiently such that it may be disengaged from the locating surface 6, 6' and thus allow the extraction of the bristled portion 2, 2' from the handle.
• the handle 1 and the bristled portion 2 are made of materials which are physically and/or chemically unrelated or incompatible, namely are such that they do not tend to bond with each other when they are moulded together or in succession one over another: as a result it is possible to use a co-moulding technique already also illustrated in European patent application No. EP-A1 -1075806 in the name of the same Applicant, on the basis of which the seat 4 of the handle itself acts as a moulding die for the coupling part 3 (or vice versa) .
• a thin layer of a separating substance may be provided in between such as to prevent the two components from becoming bonded together.
• Other techniques may be used to prevent the two materials being bonded together if moulded in succession one over another.
• the structure of the two portions which may be assembled is extremely simple, the handle being provided with a seat which can be easily moulded and the coupling part consisting of a single flexible working portion, it not being necessary to provide opposing elastic actions in order to eliminate any coupling play.
• the elastomeric mass by exerting a significant elastic reaction, makes the assembly system extremely safe against accidental disassembly and takes up any play which would otherwise occur during use.
• the straight configuration of the coupling part 3 is certainly not the only one compatible with the technical result which is to be achieved; in fact, similar operation is obtained provided that the coupling part has a configuration which allows easy extraction thereof from the handle, for example if the coupling part is formed in the manner of an arch of a circle with constant radius.

Landscapes

• Brushes (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Magnetic Means (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Electric Means (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11445073

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (4)

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Citations (11)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2000
  • 2000-05-18 IT IT2000MI001099A patent/IT1318525B1/it active
• 2001
  • 2001-05-17 AT AT01940869T patent/ATE347289T1/de active
  • 2001-05-17 ES ES01940869T patent/ES2274891T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-05-17 DE DE60125031T patent/DE60125031T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-05-17 US US10/276,523 patent/US6968590B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-05-17 WO PCT/IB2001/000857 patent/WO2001087112A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-05-17 AU AU74361/01A patent/AU7436101A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-05-17 EP EP01940869A patent/EP1284618B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (11)

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